Sunday, October 28, 2007

Will Wright calls Wii "the only next gen system".

Star designer Will Wright (´Spore´, ´The Sims´) has called Wii "the only next gen system". Speaking to The Guardian, the designer said:

Somebody asked me what I thought next generation meant and what about the PlayStation 3 was next generation. The only next gen system I've seen is the Wii – the PS3 and the Xbox 360 feel like better versions of the last, but pretty much the same game with incremental improvement. Bu tht eWii feels like a major jump – not that the graphics are more powerful, but that it hits a completely different demographic. In some sense I see the Wii as the most significant thing that's happened, at least on the console side, in quite a while.

Wright is not the first designer to make this point. In August last year, American McGee said the same to CVG:

The only truly next-gen console out there is the Wii. Everything else is just a video card and processor upgrade. (...) I sense that Nintendo is going to capture the hearts of gamers while Microsoft and Sony stab each other in the neck for market domination. Nintendo is focused on innovation and games. The other guys are focused on making money.

Slightly off-topic, but here´s some exclusive information while we are on the subject of Will Wright: ´Spore´ has finally been given an internal launch date: it is coming in early May 2008.Sources: The Guardian, CVGThanks to: Joystiq

23 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Yeah the wii controller is great....refreshing...interesting......and all that....In hindsight though I still wish Nintendo had opted for a slightly superior hardware solution..

Lets not kid ourselves there people Metroid, the best looking Wii game, DOES look like a top notch super high end Gamecube at the end of the day....it has that Gamecube look written all over it based on what I have seen 5 hours in the game...despite the larger vistas, bloom lighting and slightly superior models....

Listen, I love Metroid...In fact Metroid Prime 1 is imo the best game of the GC/PS2/XBOX era I have played both Metroid Prime games from start to finish..I know what I'm talking about..

Like Mark Pacini the games director said in a magazine interview there are indeed more polygons and better lighting in place...

HOWEVER

Those polygons were used to create bigger environments first and foremost...and yes it is true ...the environments are definitely larger in scale than those in Prime 1 and Prime 2..but the problem with this approach is that the sheer visual quality of what you see on screen eventually remains about on the same level as in the previous Primes...there is not more detail to be spotted from looking at screens...You simply don't see a definite bump..the only thing that you CAN see is that the environment tend to be bigger and the bloom lighting on occassion period...

And thats the point where I wish Retro had gone the other route with the extra performance they got out of Wii.. They should have kept the size of the environments in line with its predecessors and instead, used the extra performance for higher detail, higher polygon enemy models/architecture in general and more refined environment-mapping on samus ship /suit/enemies/vistas in order to create a "better looking game" that is visble from a first glance..making the environments bigger doesn't automatically translate into an overall better visual image..I'm afraid to say that Metroid Prime 3 in its final form on Wii could be easily dublicated on Gamecube MINUS the larger environments and the bloom lighting perhaps. And thats what it boils down..that's the point where I as a fan of the series must confess that I simply expected more..you know, maybe the guys over at Retro were tired of Metroid and thought it wouldn't be woth it to push the engine even further on Wii... "Wii is not about graphics" "our first two titles look good enough" let's just keep the look consistent with the others"..... I mean just take a gander at newest Nintendo Dream Mario Galaxy scans from jeaux france...what you see on those scans is as next gen as it gets on Wii imo..and you know why? because Nintendo used the power of Wii in a very nimble clever fashion there...Given that Mario Galaxy takes place in backgroundless space...not only do they concentrate much of Wiis power on all kinds of advanced lighting effects that directly highlight all surfaces, characters and planets also push quite a few polygons which gives them a very pleasing rounded look...this combination and how they cleverly avoided backrounds thanks to the galaxy theme do give Mario an almost next gen look...

Nevertheless, Metroid Prime is still a good looking game and the art direction while maybe not quite as drop-dead gorgeous as in the first one is beyond each doubt.

Mario Galaxy looks "almost" next-gen? I'm not saying it looks as good as Ratchet and Clank or anything, but I don't know, I think Galaxy can definitely hang out with the big boys. Plus it helps that it looks like it's simply fun to play.

I will agree with you that Prime 3 didn't have as big of a jump as I was anticipating, though. It would have been more forgivable if some of slow opening doors didn't take upwards of 20 seconds (I'm looking at you crazy space station). Still, the art direction, particularly on Elysia, was gorgeous.

it is the only next gen console thats 100% fact and ds is the only next gen handheld psp ps3 and 360 operate on a consept thats now

O-B-S-O-L-E-T-E WHY CARNT IDIOTS SEE THAT FACT

OUT DATED CONTROLS AND LONG WINDED LOADTIMES AINT FOOKING NEXT GEN

AND GALAXY IS VASTY GEN GEN VISUALY YOU IDIOT THERES NO CUTSY PLATFORMER ON 360 OOR PS3 THAT LOOKS ANYTHING LIKE THAT AND AT 60 FRAMES A SECOND AND PRIME 3 SHITS ON HALO 3 VISUALLY AND RUNS LOADS SMOOTHER HALO 3 CHUGS

RESOLUION IS NOT GRAPHICS AND HD AINT POLYCON COUNTS I DONT SEE WERE PEOPLE ARE GETTING THERE BULL SHIT FROM OH YES I DO

btw Falafelkid Skytown looks so good..the design is absolutely fantastic..Retro really nailed it with Elysia..they have outdone themselve with this one..skytown ouzes with nimble, vivid level design and moody atmosphere..skytown underlines how great art can trump tech..or better yet how the symbiosis of both aspects in interplay provide that ultimately satisfying visual expirience that isnt taken for granted nowadays.

I'd say the two boss encounters in sky town really do look what one would consider "next gen"....absolutely terrific technically and even more so artistically....Bryyo the first planet on the other hand was a mixed bag visually imo..while it does have its moments, there are instances where the level design and looks feel uninspired..but anyway sky town is where this game really starts to shine..it has the spirit of what made Metroid Prime 1 so great....I asume its also due to different artists who design different worlds...I'm sure Elysia was designed by artists who worked on the first Prime..the elite...I just know it ;))....I compared the credits in the booklet....while a hand full of the art and engineering staff members who worked on Prime 1 are either gone or only listed under "contract art" or under "additional thanks"(Zoid Kirsch lead engineer of Prime 1 for example)not to mention the two producers(Steve Barcia and another guy) who have been completely replaced by others, most of the Prime 1 staff remains intact...sky town really shows that Retro has not lost its touch...Elysia is Retro at its best...

To say something about Will Wright:I guess, this man knows what he's talking about and i'm really happy he brings Spore to the Wii! I wonder what it will look like, bc the preview videos for PC were all really good. Zooming out from a little village on a planet to a view of multiple galaxies still makes me say Wow...I really hope we don't need FriendCodes to visit planets of other users, bc that would pretty much kill the multiplayer experience of this game, i guess.

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